Someone at a writing group I belong to just asked if people write to inform or entertain. This is a topic I’ve considered carefully over the past four or five years, so I thought I’d repost my response here, since I know both writers and readers stop in. I would love it if people shared their own thoughts on the topic!
Here’s the post:
I write because I love to write. What I choose to write about, however, is generally motivated by current sociopolitical trends and events. I find myself very stirred up about something and thinking about it a lot–thinking about all the different perspectives people have on the topic, and trying to sort through what I myself think. Although I can have strong opinions, I also see many shades of gray in the world, and those fascinate me. I often have mixed views on controversial topics, and often feel that I don’t know what is right.
Once I’m all stirred up and have learned about a range of perspectives, a plot and characters start growing, and I write. Do I write to inform or to entertain? Well, I write to get people thinking. To me, writing to inform implies that I have the answers, and I think writing with that goal risks preaching to the reader. I do not wish to do that. Rather, I want to provoke the reader into considering various perspectives and determining for themselves what they think–even if what they think is not a black or white response, and even if they disagree with my personal views.
At the same time, I believe it’s crucial to entertain. If the story does not entertain, then the reader will not be drawn along. I read fiction because I love getting wrapped up in the illusional world. I’m not thinking about thinking while I read. I want to enjoy, and if the thinking results, so much the better.
Now, I do not believe that writers are obligated to approach writing this way. I think if you set out purely to entertain, there is nothing wrong with that. However, I think even if you set out to entertain, you may well end up provoking the reader to think. Some writers are more conscious of that than others, but my own opinion is that it’s quite valuable for writers to be aware of this power we have. I think of writers as cultural earthworms. Whether we think about it or not, our stories arise from the raw material we encounter in the world. We burrow through it and transform it into fertile soil in which the reader plants herself. People grow through their reading–whether we intend for it to happen or not.
When we write, we are tapping into this power, and I think of it as touching fire. I think of it that way, because such power can light the fires of change or ignite infernos of destruction. And the scary thing is, you cannot always predict what will happen when you touch fire. Readers interpret things for themselves, and it might be quite a different interpretation than what the author expected or intended.
Most books only throw off sparks, however–even if the author intended a fire. But if you start a fire . . . . Wow. Step back. Because what you touched off will have a life of its own, and it will no longer be yours. You cannot change it, and you cannot call it back, even if you want to.
Now you’ve got me really thinking. I’m not sure if your talking about “blog” writing or not. Other than my personal journal, the blog is the only thing I write. I think I write my blog to get people talking and to see how alike we all are. I like to ask questions and get us all talking back and forth. So I guess in a sense, I do want to get people thinking.
I don’t want to think while reading a book. Like you, I like to be entertained and get lost in fantasy and make believe.
The original discussion was among novelists, so that’s the kind of writing I was talking about in my post. That said, blogging is a form of writing too, so that’s definitely a legitimate way to consider the question and respond. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Joy!
I write to inform and entertain myself, first and foremost, when it comes to fiction. I can’t guarantee any sort of audience or how my potential readers will react. You’re right when you say that a piece of writing takes on a life of its own. It’s the same with creating art. I’ve watched as people make comments about art I’ve had on display and I find it curious and amusing and wonderful that their interpretations are so different from what I had in mind when I was in the creative process.
Mary, you remind me of a roommate I once had who painted. She painted very abstract pieces, and loved to ask people what they saw. It was interesting to hear different people’s interpretations!